Something about young Alice reminds me of Patricia Hitchcock. Mary
Anderson is prettier but they sound alike.

I noticed this time how the floating wreckage anticipates the
characters: playing cards, money, a lost doll.

The best scene: the amputation during a brisk squall. They've gotten
Gus drunk, that being the only anesthetic they have. We see only a
row of backs in the pitching boat, then someone turns and tosses
down the empty shoe.

Gus's nemesis back home is Al Magaroulian, making time and dancing
with his girl Rosie. Could we have an "Al & Rosie" home-front story,
not at all what Gus suspects?

Industrialist Ritt never does get Joe's name right. In the end he is
surprised to find that Joe has a wife and family. He never thought
to ask.

Much overlapping dialogue, a rare technique then.

Filmed in sequence so they could use the men's real beards.

Although shot in a studio tank it was a dangerous project and there
was illness and broken bones.

The original idea was Hitchcock's. John Steinbeck gets screenwriting
credit but several other people did major work on it after his first
treatment.

Cinematographer Arthur Miller became ill and was replaced by Glen
MacWilliams.

Hugo Friedhofer gets music credit but the feature itself is scoreless.

Some critics were savage at the time, saying the German officer was
shown as too competent and the others as disorganized and helpless,
until they become a pack of wild dogs.

Hitchcock said his point was that the allies were facing a
disciplined enemy and had to get it together if they were going to
win the war.

Historical note: the Battle of the Atlantic was all about sinking
supply ships for England. The Allied deaths are estimated at about
72,000 sailors and merchant seamen and I don't know how many
civilians. The Germans lost 30,000 among the U-boat crews.